Beef Jerky

Recipe courtesy Alton Brown, 2005

Show: Good EatsEpisode: Urban Preservation II: The Jerky

Rated: 5 stars out of 5Rate itRead users' reviews (109)

RECIPE
COMMENTS & REVIEWS(109)

Cook Time:
12 hr 0 min
Level:
Difficult
Yield:
10 to 12 ounces

Times:

Prep: 20 min
Inactive Prep: 8 hr 0 min
Cook: 12 hr 0 min
Total:: 20 hr 20 min

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Ingredients

1 1/2 to 2 pounds flank steak
2/3 cup Worcestershire sauce
2/3 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon honey
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons onion powder
1 teaspoon liquid smoke
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Special Equipment: 1 box fan, 4 paper air-conditioning filters, and 2 bungee cords

Directions

Trim the flank steak of any excess fat, place in a zip-top bag, and place it in the freezer for 1 to 2 hours in order to firm up.

Remove the steak from the freezer and thinly slice the meat with the grain, into long strips.

Place the strips of meat along with all of the remaining ingredients into a large, 1-gallon plastic zip-top bag and move around to evenly distribute all of the ingredients. Place the bag into the refrigerator for 3 to 6 hours.

Remove the meat from the brine and pat dry. Evenly distribute the strips of meat onto 3 of the air filters, laying them in the grooves and then stacking the filters on top of one another. Top these with 1 empty filter. Next, lay the box fan on its side and lay the filters on top of it. Strap the filters to the fan with 2 bungee cords. Stand the fan upright, plug in and set to medium. Allow the meat dry for 8 to 12 hours. If using a commercial dehydrator, follow the manufacturer's directions.

Once dry, store in a cool dry place, in an airtight container for 2 to 3 months.

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Comments & Reviews

recipe Beef Jerky
Jessica Kingsport, TN 10-11-2009
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Great jerky!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

Made this recipe for the first time this weekend and it turned out great. I used regular teriyaki sauce instead of soy... sauce. I used my food dehydrator instead of the filters. 99 cent filters do not exist where I live! Since my children will be eating this jerky, I will put it in the oven to raise the meat to 160 degrees (just to be on the safe side). My food dehydrator only goes to 140 or 150 degrees. This jerky is not overly salty. I never want to buy store-bought pet treats, I mean jerky, again! Thank you, Alton!Read more
recipe Beef Jerky
david virginia beach, VA 10-10-2009
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BEST JERKY
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

I've made this recipe dozens of times, works great, just ensure you you cut your strips all the same size. If you get lazy w/... your knife, you'll get some raw ones; inspect your jerky before offering to your bud! Some may collect that white cottony stuff from the pleats of the air filter. I had a friend turn his nose up at it, but screw 'em. More for everyone else. Read more
recipe Beef Jerky
dean sun valley, CA 10-02-2009
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Too salty!!
Rated: 3 stars out of 5

I made the jerky in my Nu-Wave oven. I used lite (low-sodium) soy sauce to keep the salt flavor down a bit. It didnt help -... SALTY as heck!! I would make this recipe again, but I would add more honey and possibly a teaspoon of brown sugar to help tone down the salt.Read more
recipe Beef Jerky
Becky Saint Paul, MN 09-13-2009
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Wonderful Beef Jerky
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

I alway thought that beef jerky was just to hard to make, I was wrong. I pulled this recipe from Foodnet.com and gave it a... try. I asked my 16 year old son to try it and and he told me to start making another batch because he was going to eat it all. I brought it with camping and everyone asked were I got the recipe and now I'm suppose to bring it every year going forward. I used my dehydrater and turned out perfect. (Make sure you trim all fat from the meat, this doesn't make "Good Eats".Read more
recipe Beef Jerky
Jesica Lawton, OK 08-13-2009
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Great recipe!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

I love this recipe because its easy to modify to make different types like sweet and hot (add a little more honey and red... pepper flakes to taste-before you add meat to marinade obviously), peppered (use ground pepper and add two more teaspoons to taste), you can make it terriyaki style (more honey and soy sauce to taste), or just plan spicy (load on the red pepper flakes!). The base is great too if you're feeling like original, although you may want to cut the pepper in half as well as the red pepper flakes to cool it down. I love this recipe so much and am shipping some to deployed service members! Read more
recipe Beef Jerky
Frank Austin, TX 07-26-2009
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EXCELLENT beef jerky
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

I was a little skeptical, but this recipe is awesome. I did build a frame with window screen to hold the jerky: 20 inch rough... cedar (8 pieces), some plastic screen, and some carriage bolts and wing nuts to hold it together. Total cost : 15.00. Fan 16.00 I also just made some standards out of beer cans and laid the fan on it's back. No bungee cords needed and with the screen, I can watch it. I fanned it for 13 hours last night and this morning, and I can't stop eating it! Coolest thing I ever saw. Frank in Austin Read more